Dust storms continued in the Taklimakan Desert in western China through early April 2012. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on April 5. Dust was thickest along the desert’s southern margin. (Photo: NASA)

Dust storms continued in the Taklimakan Desert in western China through early April 2012. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on April 5. Dust was thickest along the desert's southern margin.

Dust storms are common in the Taklimakan Desert-the largest, warmest, and driest desert in China. Marching sand dunes, some reaching a height of 200 meters, cover most of the desert floor. The dunes are virtually devoid of vegetation, but plants survive along the desert perimeter, and experience distinct seasonal variations.